The BBC’s new bureau in Hong Kong officially opened by BBC Director-General Tony Hall, who attended the recording in Hong Kong of the latest edition of the BBC World News TV debate programme, BBC Global Questions, which will discuss China’s place on the world stage.  The programme’s Mandarin version, produced in Hong Kong by BBC News Chinese, will focus on the future of employment for Chinese youth.

 

Several years ago, to further improve reporting capabilities and to connect better with local audiences, the BBC moved more journalists to Hong Kong.  Director-General Tony Hall will officially launch the new BBC bureau – home to 20 journalists working on news in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, as well as the commercial news operation, BBC Global News, with 11 staff supporting the commercial business in the region, alongside offices in Beijing and across Asia.  The BBC also has an office for BBC Studios in Hong Kong, bringing world-class drama and entertainment programmes to Chinese audiences.

 

The BBC has a total weekly audience of a million people in Hong Kong where it is available on TV, via the BBC World News channel, and in simplified and traditional Chinese script, along with audio content in Cantonese and Mandarin.  The BBC News Chinese weekly hour-long radio programme in Cantonese, Shi Shi Yi Zhou (Newsweek) is broadcast on local radio partner RTHK, along with the daily overnight broadcasts of BBC World Service radio in English.  BBC Minute, a 60-second news bulletin in English, is carried by Hong Kong’s Metro Radio.

 

Lord Hall attended the recording of the debate programme, BBC Global Questions.  Recorded at The Grand Hyatt hotel, the programme will bring together a panel of high-level decision-makers to focus on China’s global status now that the country’s extraordinary economic boom is cooling, and it’s locked into a damaging trade war with the United States.

 

Presenter Zeinab Badawi will ask if the Chinese economic miracle is grinding to a halt and if so, what will be the impact on the global economy.  She will speak to the panel:

 

• Victor Gao, Vice-President of the Centre for China and Globalization and Chairman of China Energy Security Institute in Beijing
• Susan Thornton, Former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
• Parag Khanna, founder of FutureMap and author of “The Future is Asian”
• Alvin Yeung, leader of the Civic Party in Hong Kong.

 

BBC News Chinese will produce its edition of BBC Global Questions in Hong Kong, themed on youth and the future of work.  Presenter, BBC News Chinese Editor Howard Zhang, will speak to the panel:

 

• Tania Lau, Senior Director of Communications, Yahoo Hong Kong
• Dr Li Ming Minnie, social scientist, lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences, the Education University of Hong Kong
• Wei-Shuan Chang, Taiwanese entrepreneur, founder of womany.com
• Professor Wong Kam Fai, China’s leading AI scientist, co-director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.